CAD software question
Hi, I'm looking into some making items for DotA as a hobby.
I will have to learn how to create and apply textures (and animation, if necessary), but as far as 3D Modeling goes, I had some specific questions.
I am pretty good with Rhino 3D and Autodesk Alias. Would either of these programs suffice or will I need to learn a new program to create models suitable for DotA? I saw on the workshop FAQ that the 3D content had to be SMD .DMX or .FBX. Of those 3, I can only export as FBX in Rhino.
Anyone have any experience using either of these programs for DotA 2?
Thanks
I will have to learn how to create and apply textures (and animation, if necessary), but as far as 3D Modeling goes, I had some specific questions.
I am pretty good with Rhino 3D and Autodesk Alias. Would either of these programs suffice or will I need to learn a new program to create models suitable for DotA? I saw on the workshop FAQ that the 3D content had to be SMD .DMX or .FBX. Of those 3, I can only export as FBX in Rhino.
Anyone have any experience using either of these programs for DotA 2?
Thanks
Replies
Its pretty easy for beginners and it has everything that you'll need!
You may wanna try it!
Cheers!
Alternatively you could try Blender as DestroyerGR suggests - it does everything and has all the basic features you need to get a model into Dota 2. And apparently Valve is hoping that work is done to integrate it into the workshop eventually, so if you want to commit to learning a package that'll help, Blender is probably it.
Yup! If you're looking at a priced sculpting tool that's easy to pick up you can take a look at Mudbox. It does texture painting in 3d as well, so that's handy for Dota 2 items.
The other thing you'll want to check is that Rhino is able to open the fbx files available from Valve's Dota 2 Hero Requirements page. Does Rhino do rigging and animation? The last time I used it was years ago.
Good call, I guess Rhino can't open those files. I tried to pick up Maya a couple years ago but never did much. It's fairly similar to Alias, would that be a good alternative or would Blender be the better option?
Maya would do everything except for the sculpting and would get you from model to publishable item 100%. I personally prefer the rigging tools in Maya over Blender. Maya's already really well supported, got Dota 2 hero shaders, smd exporters/importers, does fbx import/export and everything. Not to mention Valve provides Maya scene files on their hero download page.
Same thing though, you'd still probably need a sculpting software. Blender can do sculpting too so is a really good all round alternative (and all at no monetary cost), but personally I think a dedicated sculpting software is probably better.
Haven't played with Rhino for years, but I believe that you really cant edit polygons in Rhino. You can export your NURBS model as polygon model, but that wont give you good results. Making good lowpoly model is handwork. You place every vertex by hand, and tweak them individually. ( There are lot of tools to make this easier and of course you move edges, polygons, loops etc. But in final model every vertex should count, be there for a reason)
Maybe it is possible to bake normal, diffuse, specular, etc maps From CAD software, but I'm sure programs that are designed that in mind, do job better, faster and easier.
Software recomendation:
Blender is free and does a lot, personally I found it hard to use after I get used to use Luxologys Modo, You should check it out. I has everything needed and more (modelling/baking/animating..), but more importantly in my opinion it has best user interface that I have met in any software; easy, intuitive and fluid. And it has great learning resources.
You can knock that stuff out very quickly in programs like Rhino with flawless booleans and fillets. Then export to your modeling app (assuming it can import them ... I use Max and Modo, so they can) and use them to bake your normal map.
Modo is definitely worth looking at. I use it, it costs less than Maya, and I love it tons. Use it from everything from poly modeling, retopo (which is supremely easy to do in Modo) to texture baking/painting. Agree with the user interface thing too, I'd rather model and texture in Modo over any other 3d package I've tried so far.
I don't use it for rigging or sculpting though. I might be missing something but every time I import Valve's fbx files into Modo the rig comes out messed up. This isnt the case in Blender or Maya.
And just like Blender or Maya, I still do sculpting work outside of Modo. So all in... for me personally Modo is a great deal. But I've also come from a Lightwave background so picking up Modo was pretty darned easy. And in the end I still need either Maya or Blender to get my stuff into Dota 2.